Performance Management: Kill Performance Feedback Anxiety

This is part two of the performance appraisal series. (Part 1 is available here)

Formal appraisals are an essential part of a performance-management system that includes discussion on performance, feedback on improvement areas and career development. While these decisions are important, most of the times they lead to a “fight/freeze/flight” stress response prior to the meeting. This response is hard to kill, but the managers can use a few techniques to create a better experience for their team members and help add greater value to their careers.

Based on my experience, here are some tips for the manager to minimize the stress response and keep everyone focused and present:

Prepare Well – A little preparation always helps. While people spend a lot of time preparing for client meetings and meetings with senior management, these discussions usually take a back seat and sometimes become a tick in the box activity. For an appraisal discussion to be successful it is essential for the manager to prepare well. Following are some of the essentials that need to be considered:

• Go through the comments shared by the employees as part of Self-Review. In case there was no self-review it is always good to send some questions to the team-member in advance to gather their views. You can ask stuff like – “Goals where the team member made significant contributions; 2 areas of development; Which aspects of the job did the team member find most exciting? ; Which aspects of the job did the team member find most challenging, and why?”
• Review your own documentation of performance observations and other relevant data from your meetings/ discussions throughout the year
• Wherever required, consolidate feedback from other team members, colleagues, old / matrix managers. 

Once the details are in place, document the key discussion points. Give equal consideration to strong performance and areas in need of development.

Scheduling the Meeting – How would you like getting called during your lunchtime to a small, empty, windowless room with your superior sitting right in front of you telling – “Let’s start your performance discussion.” I’m sure, you will feel uncomfortable. For a performance appraisal to be successful it is essential to ensure that the team member feels comfortable about the meeting and comes prepared in advance. Following are some nuances that should be considered:

• Schedule the meeting one day in advance and share the subject with the team member to ensure he/she is prepared for the discussion
• Slot at least 60 minutes for the discussion to ensure the feedback conversation is not left open
• Keep in mind the daily task you and your team member is performing to ensure the focus is not lost due to work pressure
• Schedule the meeting at a good time (for example, not during a lunch hour or at the end of the day) and in a neutral place (for example, a quiet meeting room)
• In case the team member has worked with more than one manager, also block time for the old manager to participate in the feedback discussion

During the Performance Appraisal Discussion - This is the most critical stage of the process. It is essential to start the discussion by ensuring your team member is feeling comfortable. Also breaking the ice and not jumping into the actual discussion immediately also helps ease down the nerves. Here it is also critical to link the discussion points with the written appraisal and to take care of the following aspects:

Managing Negative Reactions - Sometimes while sharing negative feedback you might also experience negative reactions from team members like denial, indifference, lack of confidence, responsibility skirting and shock/anger. To manage such situations, it is essential to understand the personality of your team member and use the right kind of response. A couple of examples of the same are:

Closing the Loop and Follow Up – Once the discussion is over, close the loop. This can be done by seeking agreement and commitment of the team member on the final action plan. Once done, document the same in the appraisal form or an email and ensure consistent follow up discussions to bridge performance gaps or to take your team members performance to the next level.

I’m sure performance reviews will never be the favorite meeting of the year for both the manager and the team member. But by going in with the right mindset, setting clear exactions and trying to eliminate surprises, these discussions can be made more productive and enjoyable.